(Flickr/Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff/Sean K. Harp)
Just over eight years ago, SEAL Team 6 raided al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, killing bin Laden and propelling the elite squad to global attention.
Bin Laden had been in hiding for nearly 10 years, since the attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. US intelligence had been on the hunt for the Al Qaeda leader, finally identifying the compound where he and his family were living in August 2010.
At the time Team 6, officially known as Naval Special Warfare Development Group or DEVGRU, was under the operational leadership of Adm. Bill McRaven, who was the head of the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) until he assumed leadership of the US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) in August 2011.
During an interview to promote his latest book, Sea Stories: My Life in Special Operations, PBS reporter Judy Woodruff asked McRaven what his greatest fear was in the raid on bin Laden's compound.
The former Navy SEAL who shot Osama bin Laden in the face during the 2011 raid on his compound wants the photos of the Al Qaeda leader's dead body finally released to the public.
U.S. Navy Photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Meranda Keller
Every Thursday, Task & Purpose tells a story of heroism, usually from the 2.6 million veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan. In light of the recent publicity surrounding a couple of the several dozen men who were on the bin Laden raid, we’ve decided to recognize those who are doing the right thing and staying in the shadows.
